Rail-anchor.



T. H'. ALFREDS.

RAH. ANCHOR.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR- 4. ms.

Patented June 25, 1918.

acrosse.

TORRIS I-I. ALFREDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE P. 8: M. 00., OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION'OF ILLINOIS.

RAIL-ANCHOR.

are being applied to the rail. It is necessary therefore to ship and distribute along the track equal numbers of each of the two parts of which the anchor is composed. If

there is an excess in the number of one of the parts over the other, the remaining unused parts require rehandllng or they may be lost, in either case involving unnecessary expense.

One object of the present invention is to overcome this objection by providing a twopart anti-creeper the parts of which are exact duplicates of each other, whereby any two parts may be selected at random and applied to the rail. Another object i to provide an anti-creeper in which the cooperating wedging parts are located in substantially the same horizontal plane instead of being superimposed one over the other,

as in many types of the prior art. A further object is to provide an anti-creeper either end of which will bear against the cross-tie and either part of which may be driven into the other part in assembling them. Various other objects and advantages may be inferred from the description hereinafter given.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is section, on the line 11 of Fig. 2, of one form of the invention, a portion of the rail being shown also in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the anticreeper;

Fig. 3 is a section thereof on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4: is a perspective view.

The rail 1 is supported on the usual crosstie 2. The rail anchor or anti-creeper is applied to the rail base, one end of said anti-creeper being in contact with the side of the cross-tie to transmit or create a thrust thereto. The anti-creeper'cons1sts of two Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 4, 1918.

Patented June 25, 191%.

Serial No. 220,297.

parts 3-3 which in the form illustrated are exact duplicates of each other. These parts are made preferably as malleable castings although not limited to this material.

is reinforced by a rearwardly extending flange 8.

Each member comprises an extension or projection 9 having a substantially verti-= cal surface 10 arranged in a plane somewhat oblique with reference to the length of the rail. The corresponding vertical surfaces 10 on the two members form cooperating wedging surfaces when the parts are assembled as in Fig. 2. The extension 9 on each part projects into a corresponding recess in the other part, the end of said recess being reinforced preferably by a rib or flange 11, since there is considerable stress applied to this part of the anchor when the two parts are in wedging engagement. A further reinforcing rim or flange 12 may be pro vided.

It will be seen that either part of the anchor may be applied to the rail in contact with the cross-tie and the other part driven into the first mentioned part thereof, drawing the jaws into firm frictional engagement with opposite sides of the rail base, this action taking place regardless of which member is driven into the other and regardless of which end of the anti-creeper as a whole is in contact with the cross-tie. Each projection 9 may substantially fill the corresponding recess, whereby no clearance is provided at the points 13, and in fact additional friction may be effected at said points in order to minimize any tendency of the two parts to loosen their grip. In practice, however, it is preferable to provide a slight clearance at the points 13 in order that slight inaccuracies in the parts due to casting may not result in an undue binding when the parts are driven together. Since the two parts are identical, only one pattern is necessary and any two parts may be selected at random and fitted together to form in contact with the tie may be saidto consist of a transverse member having a jaw at one end and having a rearward tongue or projection at the other end. Eachtongue or projection being in contact with the rail base, is therefore in substantially the same horizontal plane as the corresponding tongue or projection on the cooperating member. It will be understood, ofcourse, that this feature of providing members which are arranged at substantially the same distance beneath the rail base and ,which project in opposite directions substantially longitudinally with respect to the length of the rail is independent of the twin construction feature,

the advantages of which have previously been referred-to. In other words, the twin part construction need not necessarily 1n volve the particular arrangement of wedging surfaces disclosed herein and the wedging engagement may be employed in some type of anchor other than one embodying the twin part construction.

Since these and various other modifications and adaptations of the invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art I do not desire to limit myself to the form of the invention disclosed herein except where limitations are imposed in the appended claims.

Vlhat I claim as new and desire, to secure :by Letters Patent ofthe United States is .1. An anti-creeper, comprising two members each having means engaging one side only of the rail base, and each having a tieabutting flange and a portion in the same horizontal plane as the corresponding portion on the other member said portions having substantially vertical wedging surfaces which cooperate to draw said jaws toward each other when said members are moved longitudinally with reference to each other.

2. A two part anti-creeper, each part comprising a transverse member having a tie-abutting flange projecting therefrom, a jaw at one end and a rearward extension at the other end, said extensions being at the same distance beneath the base of the rail.

3. An anti-creeper, comprising two parts each consisting of a transverse member having a tie-abutting projection thereon, a jaw at one end, and a rearward extension at the other end.

4. A rail anchor, comprising two parts each consisting of a plate having a jaw at one side, a reinforcing flange therefor constituting a hammering face, said flange ex tending downwardly to form a tie-abutting projection, and a rearward extension having an inclined wedging surface.

5. An anti-creeper, comprising duplicate parts each having a tie-abutting flange at one end and a rearward projection which cooperates with the projection of the other part substantially beneath the middle of the rail base, whereby either part may constitute the tie-abutting part and whereby either'part may be driven into the other part to effect cooperation of the two.

6. An anti-creeper comprising two similar members each consisting of a jaw at one end, a rearward extension at the other end and a flange for reinforcing said jaw, said flange extending downwardly to form a tieabutting projection and being inclined slightly to provide a hammering surface.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd day of March, A. D. 1918.

TORRIS H. ALFREDS.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

